While those unfamiliar with their tyrannical reign may just see little excrescence on the automobile trunk of a shrub or Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , gardeners see the aliveness - sucking insects overrun their poor flora . Scales are flyspeck worm with shell that attach to a host works , like parasites . go out unattended , these panoplied nightmares can have serious equipment casualty to a plant .
Scales are lilliputian , armoured pests that can be well overlooked . While the various species differ in appearance , the majority of scales are oval or circular , wingless , and miss any distinct body parts , such as a fountainhead or leg . tramp in size from less than 1/8 of an inch to ½ an column inch , they come in a variety of color , include black , chocolate-brown , greyness , and green .
The main victims of scales are trees and bush , but these pests will sink their mouth function into most perennials . They feed off the sap of branch , attaching to fruits and leaves as well . Where there is one , there are generally many , many more covering an domain . When flow , the pests can cause major damage , up to leg dieback and eventual death of the industrial plant .
It is authoritative when treat for exfoliation to identify the character that is attacking your plants , specially since there are weighing machine spirit - alikes . Take a picture and search online for a matching description to recognize which metal money is the culprit .
Finding the exact type of scale can be hard with over 7,000 specie of scale . dissimilar scales will feed on dissimilar plant life , so admit the plant when judge to identify the scale . The best slipway to research for them is found on an outbound verbal description , which can be divide into two types :
Armored plate have categorical , plate - alike covers over their bodies and strive 1/8 inch in diameter . Removing their program will not remove the insect itself , but rather just let on the parasite ’s body to the environment . Most armored scales lack appendages and once get back on a plant will remain there course for the quietus of their life .
cushy scales , on the other hand , can aggroup up to ½ inch long and have a fluid , waxy surface covering . Unlike armoured scurf , their coverings are attached to their actual body , meaning that remotion of the surface remove the pest as well . After nail down , they are able to move lento to novel areas .
Some scales will secrete honeydew , a sticky fluid that other bugs will feed off of , especially emmet . Another mark of scurf infestation is the appearance of sooty black mold on leaves , a direct effect of honeydew dripping .
scale crosshatch from eggs over 1 - 3 week and know two growth phase before reaching maturity . The larva , called nymphs , will enclose their mouthparts into the plant and feed throughout the rest of young and maturity . They usually winter as eggs and grow several generations in a yr . When it comes to bar , the good time to moderate population and price is early spring .
If scale have n’t altogether overtaken a garden or works , it is possible to hand pick the pests off . stress scratch the insects off with a scrub brush or similarly rocky surface that wo n’t spite the plant to hit them .
One of the few nice thing about scale is that they make excellent cannon fodder for other bugs . Introduce lacewing fly , lady beetles and other predatory louse to your garden to help assure universe . parasitical wasps can kill off grownup scales by lay testis in or on the pests , causing the shells to become puffy or dark .
Pruning back the infested areas of a plant life is an excellent means to polish off the scales without chemicals or spending hours clean at tiny shells . prune back to unfold up canopies in the summer can also cut back some scale populations due to the heating system exposure . Remember to use proper pruning technique to avoid permanent damage .
Use neem crude oil on scant infestations to reduce feeding and repel new scales . Neem oil is find in seeds of the neem tree , is non - toxic , and can serve control scales by swab with a cotton plant swab . It can also pretend the shell ’s hormones , making it severely to place eggs or for nymphs to mature .
Horticultural rock oil can be used if the plague becomes uncontrollable . These employment by covering the area and stifle the pests caught in the nebulizer . These do n’t harm mammalian but will vote down any good bugs caught in the crossfire . While they do not cause harm to the legion industrial plant , it is always important to dual - check the labels for the most environmentally friendly single .
In early spring , wrap double - sided tape around the branch and twigs of mellow - scale area . The nymph will crawl across the tape and get stay , unable to move or latch onto the tree . Change out the taping wrappings throughout the spring , noting the identification number of short orange/ scandalmongering specks ( the nymph ) . When the particle drop in issue , you could take out all magnetic tape traps as the bulk of scales have settled or been catch .
utilize water - sensitive paper to determine the comportment of honeydew muck from scales . Regularly ensure the paper set up beneath the plants to determine how detrimental the infestation is and what the best handling will be going forward .
If you have pismire around the scale - sham field , treat them too . emmet are drawn to honeydew melon and will round beneficial insects that prey on scale . Treat the emmet and/or deny them accession to the industrial plant using sticky maw around the al-Qaida .
If you discover yourself with a plate infestation , take military action as soon as possible and stick with up with preventive measures in the future . While they may seem to be guiltless slight bumps , scurf plague can make genuine problems and nightmares for a gardener . With proper identification , bar and control , you could keep your plant life shell - liberal and healthy all year long .
Horticultural Magazine
Planet Natural
University of California
University of Connecticut
